Treatment Ordered For Rapist

LOCAL LOOK

A man convicted of raping the wife of a friend, who ordered the sexual attack, must attend drug and alcohol counseling meetings for failing a drug test, a judge ruled on Monday.

Frank Merlino, 26, of Royal Palm Beach, was placed on probation in January 1994 after serving 18 months of 41/2-year prison term for the rape.

Merlino's friend, David A. Williams, was acquitted of any involvement in the rape of his wife in 1992, but he lost a related civil suit filed by his wife by default. He had failed to appear to defend himself, and his wife was awarded $65 million.

Merlino testified during Williams' criminal trial that Williams had shown him nude pictures of his wife as well as pornographic videotapes, and then coerced him to rape his wife.

Merlino was charged last year with violating probation after failing an August drug test.

A drifter accused of killing a 5-year-old West Palm Beach girl more than a decade ago is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Camden County in New Jersey.

Jail officials in Camden County said that William Barrow, 59, has refused to waive extradition proceedings.

Sgt. William Springer of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said he has no doubt Barrow will be extradited to face first-degree murder charges in the stabbing death of Kizzy Ann Brooms.

Brooms was abducted from a West Palm Beach park in February 1985 and found two days later. She had been stabbed and raped.

Springer identified Barrow as the prime suspect within weeks of the murder, but a warrant for Barrow's arrest was not issued until three weeks ago when advanced DNA testing tied Barrow to the crime scene, the Sheriff's Office said.

Barrow, who has been living in a vacant storefront in Camden for several years, has denied any knowledge of Broom's murder.

No suspects in murders

Sheriff's investigators were tracking leads in the weekend killings of a West Palm Beach woman and her 14-year-old son, but no suspects were in custody late Monday.

The dead boy's father, Joseph Christopher Demesmin, said he doesn't have any answers, either.

He said his son, Christian Demesmin, had lived with him for 13 years but went to live his mother just last April.

Chistian and his mother, Marie Loriston, also known as Velina Jean, were found shot to death in their apartment west of West Palm Beach on Saturday. Please see story, 3B.